Farch. This is what a teacher friend of mine named February and March—Farch. It’s the time of year here in the upper Midwest when clean snow gives way to mud, the robin’s-egg blue sky turns gray, and even if it looks like it could—should—be warm, one’s fingers still need to be covered with clumsy mittens. Farch is the perfect word for this time of year, because the word itself sounds like the misery it intends to invoke. Farch is old ground…stale energy…a candle about to die. And with Farch comes Lent. As a kid, Lent was always really depressing to me. Lent meant somber hymns, dark decorations on the altar, and the super-depressing Good Friday worship—the one in which we stripped the altar o
The Milwaukee-Wauwatosa Community of Christ church is sensing a call to be intentional about their mission to be invitational and to reach out to neighbors. They started their year off with a showing of the documentary Barn Raisers, produced by Moline, Illinois Community of Christ church members Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films. The documentary explores the seemingly ubiquitous barns that dot the Midwest countryside and what they say about the people who built them. The Rundles brought the film and all the equipment needed to make this a very professional, high quality experience, while Kevin and Merrie Reed organized a potluck dinner to make it a welcoming, delicious experience!
